


Edge of Seventeen

by honestlyjustasofa



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, French Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), High School Student Eren Yeager, Hipster Jean Kirstein, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Teacher-Student Relationship, hipster armin arlert, soccer player mikasa ackerman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-05-13 20:45:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19258876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestlyjustasofa/pseuds/honestlyjustasofa
Summary: Eren sucks at French and in order to pass with all A’s his senior year, Monsieur Ackerman offers to tutor him over the summer





	1. Proposition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redlikerudolph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlikerudolph/gifts), [ghostsona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostsona/gifts).



> Thank you to ghostsona for peer editing this for me and to redlikerudolph for inspiring me to actually write

 Twelve months from now, and I'll be graduating. Twelve months, and Trost University is my next destination. Twelve months for me to get all my grades together, holy shit. 

 "Eren, you're daydreaming again," said a familiar voice next to me.

 "Huh?" I said, turning to face the cause of my internal agony.

 "I suggest paying attention if you want to pass my class next year, Jaeger," Mr. - I mean - Monsieur Ackerman said, his tone bored yet cold, giving me a stern look.

 "My bad," I muttered, feeling my cheeks heat up a bit out of embarrassment.

 "Class is over in less than ten minutes, at least pretend to care about what's going on." 

 Mr. Ackerman has been my French teacher since sophomore year. I decided to switch from Spanish to French, only to find out that meant I had to take the language class for the rest of highschool. That's what I got for not listening to Armin or Mikasa, who insisted that I stay in Spanish with her. But if I spent another year with Miss Rico, I would actually die of boredom. Mr. Ackerman wasn’t boring; he was actually kind of funny once you got used to him. He was, however, a real pain in the ass when it came to grading.

  Monsieur Ackerman, being the man of precision that he was, stringently graded students on accuracy. And as someone who religiously messed up on the accents, whether that meant using the wrong one, butchering the pronunciation, or even forgetting accents entirely, I had made a grave decision.

 Most of my classmates had already completed their three language credits last year during 10th grade, and the rest were finishing their credits up this year. Unfortunately for me, I'd be stuck taking another year of this godawful language I would never have any use for outside of school.

   Armin was currently in French 4 and would be taking AP next year. He'd helped tutor me over the last two years, which was why I currently had a C in French 2 instead of a failing grade.

 Monsieur Ackerman walked back up to the front of the room, writing down the requirements of our summer homework assignment on the white board. Wait, were his hips swaying - 

 "Now, freshmen," he began, turning to face the class while pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Before you start your whining, your sophomore year is going to be your final year of taking my class, that is, unless you want to continue on. I expect all of you to study over the summer, and I mean practice your vocabulary and pronunciation. You have just over two and a half months to complete this book and write a fifteen hundred word essay _en français_. Don't even think about copying off of each other, because I'll be able to tell, and getting a zero in this class within the first week of school is not going to be pleasant. C'est bon?"

 He gave me a knowing look, which never fails to make me want to shrink in my seat no matter how many times he does it. So no, Mr. Ackerman, it's not good. 

 As everyone began packing up, I made my way to his desk in the front of the class. Everything was meticulous, from the perfectly stacked files to the arrangement of his pens and Post-It notes.

 "Yes?" he asked. 

 "Uh, I was wondering if you could raise my grade up just one percent, please. It's a 79% and-" 

 "No." 

 "No?"

 "Did I stutter, Jaeger?" he snapped with no actual bite. "You consistently make the same basic grammar mistakes, not to mention you can't say a single sentence fluently. Until you can meet the basic requirements of this class, you don't deserve a higher grade, let alone an A. You're almost an adult now. Learn how to be efficient."

 He paused for a moment, then began to speak before I could. "It seems Arlert's tutoring isn't helping you as much as you'd like. I'm tired of taking off points for the same thing time after time, so I'll make you a deal. How about over the summer, I'll be your new tutor." 

 I shamelessly gaped at him. 

 "Since I have no plans, we can meet up at noon on Sunday at Rose Café to make a schedule that would be convenient for the both of us. And if you improve, you won't have to be the only senior in French 3. Hell, if you make a huge improvement, I could even move you to AP French. Sound good?"

 I only managed to nod my head before the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and the start of summer. The class had cleared out fairly quickly, and before I could walk out I heard him yell, "Don't be late, Jaeger!"

   

*** 

 

 Right after dismissal, Mikasa, Armin and I dropped by the local 7-Eleven, which was only a few short blocks from our neighborhood. June was a beautiful month, not too hot but just perfect for having a slushy, and grabbing a few bags of chips and sweets wouldn't hurt. 

 Mikasa stopped nagging about my health habits back in junior high, but that didn't stop the eye-roll she gave me when she saw them. 

 "Y'know mom's gonna yell at you when she sees that junk," said Mikasa. 

 "That's only if she sees it, which she won't," I retorted. "She doesn't come home until like, four."

Mikasa's mom married my dad seven years ago, after my mom died, and since the two of us were already friends, our dynamic barely changed. And don't get me wrong, Mikasa's mom was cool — it's just that she could never replace my real mom. 

 "Don't say I didn't warn you, dumbass," she said before taking a sip of her slushy. 

 "We should make a list of stuff we should do," said Armin. "Like, I feel like we should be productive this summer." 

 “Well I have to go to soccer practice everyday for a month, so I'd say that counts as productive," replied Mikasa. 

 "Mr. Ackerman offered to tutor me over break, so I'm not being that much of a lazy ass, either."

 "WHAT?! Why??" asked the two in unison. 

 I shrugged. "He just offered to do it, probably just to get me to stop making his ears bleed when he has to listen to me speak French."

 "I still don't get why you didn’t just continue Spanish," muttered Mikasa. "You could've completed the necessary credits already." 

 "Anyways, he said that if I improve over the summer he might put me in AP, which is cool I guess." 

 "You guess? Eren, that's an offer you can't refuse!" exclaimed Armin. "If you get into AP, that would be amazing! We would basically have all of the same classes then!" 

 “Also it’d look good on a college application,” Mikasa pointed out.

 “We’re seniors now, guys,” gushed Armin. “I can’t believe it’s almost over.” Tears began to fall down his cheeks, a sad smile in his face. He quickly began wiping them away. “We need to make the most of our last year together!” 

 “We’re all most likely going to Trost after highschool, y’know. Unless, you get accepted into some Ivy League, Ar, which is a huge possibility,” said Mikasa., who was giving the blonde a one-armed hug. “And even if we do part ways, we can still keep in touch, right Eren?” 

 “That shouldn’t even be a question,” I snorted, also wrapping an arm around Armin. 

 “I’m just being overemotional, it’s fine,” Armin sniffled, letting out a small laugh.

 “No, your right to be concerned about a our near future. A lot of people just part ways, and that’s not what I want,” I said. “Now, let me kick your ass at Mortal Combat.”

 “God, Eren, you sound like the biggest dad friend.” 

 “Says the biggest mom friend.”

 “Hey, I actually take pride in that title!”

 “You’re both insufferable,” groaned Armin.

 

 

 


	2. Session One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took me forever to update!

 Friday night and Saturday were spent with Armin, Mikasa and I aggressively playing Mortal Kombat, as well Rocket League and Super Smash Bros., so Sunday snuck up me a lot faster than I anticipated. I woke up around eleven, only to remember that I was supposed to meet Mr. Ackerman in an hour.

  I managed to take a quick shower and put on a clean band-tee and jeans before grabbing my phone, wallet, and keys. I made it out of the door by 11:35, and since Rose Café was a about a fifteen minute walk from my house, I would be there about five minutes early. Thank God.

  Mr. Ackerman absolutely despised tardiness, and would often give after school detentions to those who were late to his class. Me being a few minutes late to the café could potentially end his proposal to tutor me before it even began. 

 To my surprise, Rose Café wasn't too crowded today, judging by the empty tables and booths. I was able to spot Mr. Ackerman sitting in a booth near the windows, reading a book while taking a sip of his coffee. Or at least I assumed it was coffee. 

After ordering my own coffee (which was fairly quick since the cafe was practically empty), I took the seat across from my teacher.  He was wearing a white button up with the sleeves rolled up, and dark olive jeans, something that was new compared to the full suit and tie he usually wears at school. Upon further inspection, I realized he was wearing diamond-stud earrings, which I had never seen before.

Mr. Ackerman didn't look up, which was strange since he always seemed to notice the faintest of sounds and movement while teaching. He was too engraved in his novel, not like that was out of the ordinary. I'vie been to many after-school detentions for being late to his class, and he was always reading, only ever looking up to check the time or to tell me (and occasionally a few others) to complete the assignment he had given us.

"You're staring, brat," the man muttered, finally giving me his attention. He checked his wrist watch. "You actually came on time."

  He looked slightly different, and I didn't realize why until I met his steel blue eyes. On the outer corners of his waterline was a bit of eyeliner. Needless to say he was gorgeous. Wait.

"Good afternoon to you too, teach," I said half-heartedly. "And yeah, my house is only a short walk away."

He hummed in acknowledgement, taking a sip of his beverage, then clearing his throat before speaking.

"Are you going anywhere over the summer?" he asked.

"No, my parents might go somewhere though," I replied. "I'm basically free for two and a half months, Mr. Ackerman." That didn't sound flirty, did it?

For a split second I thought I caught a glimpse of a smirk, but when I blinked, his face was back to it usual bored look.

 "Just call me Levi, we're not in school and formalities mean shit." He took out his phone, and after a bit of scrolling, he spoke again. "I need to go back to work in August, but only for a few hours a week, other than that, my schedule is all clear."

From there we were able to make a schedule of our own. Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Fridays were our tutor days from 11:30 to 2:30 unless there was something I was really struggling with, which then he planned on tutoring me an extra hour. We planned to meet up at the cafe, which was most convenient for the two of us.

 After our scheduling, there was a bit of an awkward silence between the two of us. A few seconds later, Levi picked up his book and began reading like he had before I arrived. 

  "Uh, I guess I'll get going, then," I stated, not sure if what I was expecting.

 He looked back up at me again, his eyes questioning. "Was there something else you wanted to speak about, Eren?"

  Goddamn him and his smooth voice. 

  "Not particularly," I muttered. "I'll let you get back back to your book. See you tomorrow, I guess." I quickly got up and threw away my empty coffee cup before heading out the door.

 

***

 

  When I woke up with a grueling migraine at four in the morning I began to dread the worst. It was Monday, the first day of my tutoring session, and I could only hope the headache would subside before I had to meet Levi. 

  I dragged myself out of bed and made my way up the stairs to the kitchen. Living in the basement was a glorious blessing in times like these. I rarely had to worry about waking anybody upstairs and I basically got all the privacy a hormonal seventeen year old could ask for. 

  After taking an Ibuprofen and making it back downstairs, I hopped back into bed in the hopes of sleeping in an extra few hours. But nope, that was _not_ happening.

   Today was going to be a long day.

 

***

 

  "You look like shit." 

  Today Levi wore another white button up, only this time it was paired with dark blue jeans, similar in style to the ones he wore yesterday. He was still wearing his diamond-stud earrings and his eyes were defined by the same eyeliner.

 "Shut up, old man," I groaned rather than snapped, dropping my notebook and pen on the booth table.

 "I'm twenty eight, Eren."

  _"Whatever."_

"The  _disrespect,_ " chided Levi, a playful gleam in his eyes.

 "'The disrespect,'" I mimicked, sticking my tongue out at him. 

 "I know told you to stop with the formalities yesterday, but I wasn't actually expecting you to throw them out the window."

"I'm going to get some coffee," I said, suddenly rising from my seat. Judging by Levi's expression, it was probably more dramatic than necessary.

  He snorted, taking a sip of his beverage while light shaking his head as I walked to the small line. I noticed my migraine from earlier was clearing up, thankfully so. 

 "What kind of coffee do you get?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee before I sat down.

 "It's tea, black tea to be specific."

 "With milk?" I asked 

 The man shook his head.

 "You're telling me you just drink plain leaf juice?" 

 "That's one way of putting it," Levi muttered looking down at his cup before asking, "What's wrong with black tea?"

 "Nothing, I just expected you to spend your money on something with a little kick to it."

 "You know we're wasting your tutoring time, right kid?"

  "Oh, yeah, my bad."

 

***

 

 "Okay so, I want you to put the slightest bit of effort into using the right fucking accent, got it Jaeger?" 

 "Yes, sir," I huffed, looking over my notes before closing my notebook.

 "You should be able to at least differentiate them by name on Wednesday. If not, that would lead me to believe you're not taking this seriously, which is a waste of both of our times. And you really don't want to waste my time, Eren."

 "Okay, okay." I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Believe it or not, I'm not going to let this opportunity go to waste."

 He hummed in response, grabbing his book as he too got up to leave the café.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to leave a comment or message me on Tumblr @honestlyjustasofa :) constructive criticism is appreciated


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